1.Should the United States act alone and begin carbon cap and trade or Essay

1.Should the United States act alone and begin carbon cap and trade or should we only do it if the rest of the world does as well - Essay Example With the debate ensuing regarding the US taking the first step towards environment protection and its possible implications on global impact, economic growth and possible trend setting role, there are many angles to study this concept from. This paper is aimed at highlighting the various aspects of imposing a carbon cap in the US, its pros and cons and the feasibility of taking such step in the long and short term. It is not a new fact that the pollutants that are exhausted into the atmosphere as a result of industrial activities damage and human activities cause climatic changes and other greenhouse effects. Carbon dioxide is the leading greenhouse gas and comes not only from industrial operations and human activities like burning of fossil fuels and in energy but also from some other natural sources such as animal respiration, volcanic eruptions and decay of plants. The accumulation of large amount of carbon dioxide from the diverse sources in the atmosphere results into catastrophic impacts of climate change in the environment. To tackle climatic changes and the negativities that emerge as a result of pollutants, it has become imperative for countries to strive on their level to minimize their contribution towards environmental harm. Carbon Cap is one such concept that has emerged as a result of this changing trend towards environment friendliness. It basically restricts the extent of carbo n emissions into the atmosphere and exceeding the prescribed limit makes the operating firm liable to pay a carbon tax (Shapiro, 2007). Carbon cap and trade is an approach to curb environmental destruction by greenhouse gases. This approach is environmentally and economically feasible and practical which is centrally driven by global warming. â€Å"Cap† and â€Å"trade† terms imply setting limits for greenhouse emissions and